Independent participatory media for Iran

The European Union has removed five Iranian bank directors from its blacklist after these individuals filed a suit to challenge the EU decision to put them under sanctions.

Ali Divandari, the executive director of Mellat Bank; Abdolnasser Hemmati, the executive director of Sina Bank; and Mohammadreza Mesgaran, Saeed Zavar and Ahmad Azizi, all managers at the Melli Bank in London, have been removed from the EU list of individuals under sanctions.

Reports indicate that a number of people on the EU blacklist had taken legal action to challenge the EU decision.

ISNA reported that Abdolnasser Hemmati has said that his lawyer has been informed by EU Council that Hemmati’s name has been removed from the blacklist and that the official announcement of this development will be included in the 55th newsletter of the European Union.

The four other Iranians who were removed from the list had each filed a separate suit and were also informed about their removal from the list, the ISNA report indicated.

The EU has put the directors of several Iranian companies and state organizations under sanctions on the grounds that they are allegedly involved in Iran’s nuclear and missile program. These sanctions, which began two years ago, have become progressively tighter, and the list of blacklisted individuals has become longer in the past two years.